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Actividad. Desperdicio de Alimentos
Actividad. Desperdicio de Alimentos
Supplementary Materials
Globally about one-third of the food produced never gets eaten, and this translates to about 1.3 billion tons1,
or over 140 million garbage trucks full of wasted food per year. In the United States, about 40 percent of
the food is wasted!2 Most food waste in the United States happens in homes or at restaurants, where food
is thrown away because it spoils before it can be used, because it is left uneaten on a plate, or because too
much food is made and not eaten. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, on average an American
family of four throws out about $1,500 worth of food in a year.3
Food waste not only costs us money, it also takes a huge environmental toll. In the U.S. a lot of resources,
including fertilizer, cropland, freshwater, and energy, are used to grow uneaten food.4
When food and other organic matter decomposes, it produces methane gas. Methane is a greenhouse gas
that is 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Since food waste is the biggest component of landfills,
landfills are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, reducing food waste could reduce methane
emissions from landfills.
Reducing food waste would also likely decrease food prices, which would benefit low-income consumers.5 If
food waste in the U.S. were cut by 30 percent, it would be enough food for 50 million people!
Although reducing food waste would have huge economic and environmental benefits, changing consum-
er behavior is difficult. Instead of making one big trip to the grocery store a week, better meal planning and
more frequent trips to the store could reduce food waste. Also, sell-by and use-by dates on packages don’t
indicate when food is no longer safe to eat. The confusion around the meaning of these dates leads to lots of
still fresh foods being tossed out.
To learn about other solutions to global food issues, read more at Our Hungry Planet.
1
Gustavsson, J. et al. (2011)
2
Gunders, Dana (2012)
3
USDA (September, 2015)
4
Reich, A. H. & Foley, J.A. (April, 2014)
5
Buzby, J.C., et al. (2014)
Tec de Monterrey Campus Guadalajara
Curso: Procesos ecológicos para el desarrollo humano
Luis Alberto Garcia Galicia A01705545
Hector Alejandro Aranda Tinajero A01643446
Leonardo Dominic Arenas Valencia A01637106
Profesor: José Luis Ibarra Montoya
Fecha: 22/05/2023
Weighing the Benefits and Drawbacks of Reducing Food Waste